Mac Won't Connect to Wi-Fi: 8 Apple Checks in Order

Apple's own order has 8 steps

Apple's support article, dated March 10, 2025, lists these checks in order: confirm the Wi-Fi connection, restart the Mac, check the date and time, update macOS, check VPN or security software, check the router, use the built-in diagnostic tools, and finally try a different network or call your internet provider.

The menu names below follow System Settings, which is the layout of macOS Ventura 13 and later. Apple's pages I read give no separate steps for older System Preferences layouts, so this page does not cover them.

Forget the network, then join it again

A saved network can keep old settings after the router changes. Apple says forgetting a network can help the Mac use the router's new settings. Choose Apple menu > System Settings > Wi-Fi, scroll down, click Advanced, and click the More Options (ellipsis) button next to the network.

You get 2 choices. Turn off Auto-Join keeps the network and its password but stops automatic joining. Remove From List, followed by Forget, deletes it. The Mac still lists the network as available afterward, so join it from the menu and type the password again.

• With iCloud Keychain on the same Apple Account, forgetting a network on this Mac removes it from your other devices too.
• A managed or supervised Mac may not show Forget or Auto-Join at all. Ask whoever manages it.

macOS 15 adds a Private Wi-Fi Address menu with 3 settings

Apple devices present a different Wi-Fi (MAC) address to each network. On macOS Sequoia 15 and later you set it in System Settings > Wi-Fi > Details next to the network name, in the Private Wi-Fi Address menu: Off, Fixed or Rotating. Off uses the hardware address. Fixed does not change and is the default for new WPA2-or-stronger networks. Rotating changes every 2 weeks and is the default for networks with weak or no security.

Apple recommends keeping the feature on and updating your software before switching it off. Organizations may need to update their network security, or use an MDM profile to turn the feature off for managed Macs.

Forgetting a network resets its private address on a timer

On macOS 15 and later, forgetting a network also clears its private address, unless you forgot that network less than 24 hours earlier. Earlier versions wait 2 weeks, and a Mac that has not joined a network for 6 weeks uses a new address on the next join.

A worked example: the Mac fails on home Wi-Fi but joins a phone hotspot

Say the Mac joins your phone's hotspot but not the home router. Step 1: connect to the hotspot and install any macOS update, since Apple suggests updating over a working network. Step 2: forget the home network and rejoin it. Step 3: restart the router, and check for the router maker's latest firmware. Step 4: open the router page and compare 5 values with Apple's list below. Step 5: forget and rejoin on every device after any router change, as Apple advises.

If the Mac joins the hotspot, the Mac is healthy and the home router is the place to look.

The router settings Apple recommends

Apple's router article gives concrete values. Back up the router's current settings before changing any of them.

• Security: WPA3 Personal. Use WPA2/WPA3 Transitional if older devices must join, and WPA2 Personal with AES only if neither works.
• Avoid: WPA/WPA2 mixed modes, WPA Personal, WEP, TKIP and open networks.
• Names: one unique SSID for all bands, with Hidden network and MAC address filtering both disabled.
• Channel: Auto. Width 20 MHz for 2.4 GHz and Auto for 5 GHz and 6 GHz.
• DHCP: on, only if this router is the only DHCP server. Lease time 8 hours for home or office, 1 hour for guest networks.
• WMM enabled, and NAT enabled only if the router is the only device doing NAT.

Check the IP setup in TCP/IP

Go to System Settings > Network, pick the Wi-Fi service, click Details and choose TCP/IP. The IPv4 menu offers Using DHCP, Using DHCP with manual address, Manually, and Off. Apple says to use Using DHCP when your provider assigns the address automatically, and Manually only when the provider gave you an IPv4 address, a subnet mask and a router address, all 3 of which you must enter.

The Renew DHCP Lease button appears only when the service uses DHCP.

VPN and security software can mimic a Wi-Fi fault

Apple's article on this, published December 8, 2025, says third-party software that monitors network connections can block internet access. Apple lists symptoms beyond Wi-Fi: iCloud backup fails, iMessage or FaceTime will not sign in, and the App Store will not load. The app types to look for are VPN, firewall, antivirus, parental-control and content blockers.

In System Settings, search for VPN, profile, firewall and filter, and check Login Items. If the problem continues after you turn the software off, restart, then switch to a new network location in Network settings and reconnect. A work Mac may forbid these changes, so ask first.

Run Wireless Diagnostics with every app closed

Quit all apps, join the problem network if you can, hold Option, click the Wi-Fi status menu and choose Open Wireless Diagnostics. Click the Info buttons in the Summary pane to read each finding. Apple states it does not change your network settings.

The tool also saves a compressed WirelessDiagnostics file ending in .tar.gz in /var/tmp, which you can send to your provider or IT person. In Finder choose Go > Go to Folder and type /var/tmp. If a Wi-Fi Recommendations item shows in the Wi-Fi menu, choose it; it is unavailable for personal hotspots and WPA or WPA2 Enterprise networks.

Common mistakes

Setting the router to WPA3 only can lock out older devices; Apple's WPA2/WPA3 Transitional option exists for them. Hiding the network name and filtering MAC addresses both appear on Apple's disable list, so a router with either switched on departs from Apple's router advice above.

If a dialog or error code is on your screen and you are not sure what it asks, Crade can read it and suggest which of these steps to try.

Who should change what

Forgetting the network and the restart suit every Mac owner. Router changes suit people who manage their own router; on a rented provider router, ask the provider for the same values. A Mac enrolled in work or school management should leave VPN, profile and Private Wi-Fi Address settings to the administrator.